Another Turning Point…

The title of this entry is the opening lyric to Green Day’s song “Time of Your Life”. The rest of the first verse goes like this:

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go

So make the best of this test, and don’t ask why

It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.

I hope you had the time of your life.

We reached the end of our homeschooling year this week, as the calendar goes. The Boy received an excellent evaluation, and the school district has been properly notified.

As far as I’m concerned, he still has some work to do this summer, to make up for not doing much of anything during Oct., Nov., and Dec. Notice however, that from Jan.-June, we did accomplish enough to not only receive a successful evaluation, but also to get The Boy admitted to a local charter school for science, technology, engineering, and math. We did in 6 months what it takes almost 10 months for the public school to get done, and we did it well, and above grade level, as well.

When we started homeschooling in Sept., it truly seemed that time had grabbed me by the wrist. I had no other options, and I thought I’d never choose homeschooling. I am so glad I brought The Boy home for a year. The entire family is closer for it, and The Boy is a totally different kid. He is excited about school again, but more importantly, he is excited about learning again. Let me tell you, it was not an easy year, but if I had it to do all over again, knowing what I know now, I’d have done it sooner. We’ve gone from “I want to be in a classroom all alone with a teacher!”, to “I want to learn with other kids.” It truly was unpredictable, and in the end, absolutely right. I see homeschooling, and education, in a completely different light, and if the need arose, I would bring him home again in a heartbeat.

The Boy going to the charter school also means we are finished with our local school district. He will not be attending middle school here if the charter school doesn’t pan out. The charter school is in another town, and it is its own little district. Pretty neat if you ask me. Which brings us back to that Green Day song. It has an alternate title: